


Interlude: Aftermath

by deprough



Series: The Mandalorian's Jobs [6]
Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Gen, Miscommunication, Slow Burn, Strangers to Family, canon compliant through ep4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:40:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27548458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deprough/pseuds/deprough
Summary: Mando struggles to cope with the events of The Gunslinger's Job. The best plan he has involves asking for help from someone he once screwed over.
Relationships: Baby Yoda (The Mandalorian TV) & Din Djarin, Din Djarin/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Mandalorian's Jobs [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1588885
Comments: 19
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Happy New Mandalorian Episode day! No, I haven't seen it yet and I'm dodging spoilers like crazy. 
> 
> I can't think of anything that could be triggering in this post, but PLEASE comment and tell me if I missed something. I do not want to cause anyone mental harm because they choose to read my work. I want to bring pleasure to people, not pain. You know, unless they're into that and ask nicely.

“Where’s Parjii?” he asked Peli.

The wide-eyed mechanic held The Kid tightly. “I don’t know, he took her somewhere, I think the bunk--”

Mando dashed onto the _Crest_ , finding his bunk closed. The pit in his stomach deepening, he opened it. Blood was everywhere, coating the walls, her shredded corpse--

 _No, no, no!_ She wasn’t dead, but his nightmare insisted on showing her violated, lifeless body, ripped dress soaked in blood, and her blue skin torn. With a low moan, he jerked himself awake. The comforting lights of the _Crest’s_ cockpit glowed around him, and he stiffly sat up straight in the pilot’s chair. 

_Maybe I should have slept in my bunk_ , he thought, putting a hand to his head. Even as he thought it, he knew he couldn’t stand to be in there right now. The protein destabilizer he’d used to break down the blood stains in his bunk left a distinctive scent, and he’d just spent an hour immersed in it trying to clean Parjii’s blood off his walls and mattress. The smell of it would only make sleep impossible -- and the nightmares worse, he suspected. 

He focused on a light blinking on his console, groggily struggling to remember what it signified. _Incoming message_ , he dredged up through his exhaustion and eagerly pressed it.

Bastion’s holo appeared on the projector, the warm brown of his skin and eyes washed away to sickly green. He had more wrinkles than Mando remembered, most of them smile-lines, but his old acquaintance wasn’t smiling now.

_“‘Left on bad terms?’ Mando, you’ve developed a real gift for understatement. I believe I told you if I ever saw you again, I’d stick a blaster under your chin and count the number of ricochets the bolt made in your helmet. We didn’t leave on bad terms, you kriffed Pisa and me on that hunt because Xian asked you to do it, and I haven’t forgotten.”_

The holo image paused and frowned more deeply. _“Your friend is lucky Pisa overheard the message, though, so yeah, you can come to the Academy, and you can talk to me about taking on your friend. I want to be clear, if you’re running a scam for Ran, or if your friend is, Pisa’s gonna pull your arms off and beat you to death with them. Coordinates to our landing pad are attached._ **_Don’t_ ** _try to set down anywhere else on Naboo, or Pisa will get to practice her disarticulation techniques.”_

Mando had already set course for Naboo, even before getting permission, so he didn’t need to change course. He entered the landing coordinates Bastion had provided, then sat back and tried to relax. He had suspected that Bastion would help a former slave; the man was one of the most ardent abolitionists Mando had ever met. It was why Xian had convinced him to screw Bastion on that job. The man regularly passed on bounties for slaves or refused jobs that involved supporting slavery. 

_I was an idiot_ , Mando sighed to himself as he stood up. He’d been young and credit-hungry, and running jobs for Ran had been good credits. It’d never occurred to him until later that Ran could have just cut Bastion loose if he didn’t like his stances. Screwing the former associate on the way out the door had just been a petty pleasure. Especially for Xian, Mando reflected, once again hating that he’d ever allowed her to have any influence over him.

Just two days, and then he’d be at the Academy. He wasn’t sure how he’d pay her tuition, but he knew he had to find a way. He couldn’t ever come back to the _Crest_ and find her like that again. 

At the thought of finding her, he saw the image again: his bunk door sliding back, and Parjii lying so still, her back a horror of purple welts and oozing cuts. His walls and bedding covered with streamers of violet blood, while his heart went into freefall.

Shaking his head, he left the cockpit and went down to the cargo bay. Both of his people were sleeping peacefully, and Mando sank down on the floor by The Kid. He only meant to stay a moment, but the quiet sound of the child and Parjii sleeping kept him there. It wasn’t long before he joined them in slumber, despite the uncomfortable position against the bulkhead. 

He woke to Parjii’s voice calling his name. He looked her over; the dried bacta on her back needed to be reapplied, but she hadn’t bled overnight. The welts were darkening, as had the hand-shaped bruise on her lekku. The shabhead had squeezed the delicate organ, and Mando wished he hadn’t killed him so quickly. Calican deserved to suffer for what he’d done.

“Morning,” he said to her, smiling. Seeing her awake and talking helped his own mood.

“What you doing?” she asked. Even through the digitization of his helmet, he could hear the pain in her voice.

“Do you want breakfast?” he asked, trying to avoid admitting that he’d fallen asleep watching her and The Kid sleep. She blinked, still clearly dealing with brain-fog from the meds, and he clarified, “Are you hungry?”

The Twi’lek stirred a little and he saw the tremble in her motion as she tried to move through the pain. Despite not being capable of doing more than lying still, she said, “I can try fix it.”

He tilted his head at her, anger spiking in him. Did she really think he expected her to get her own food in this state? He’d practically had to carry her to bed last night. “Are you serious?”

She flinched, clearly upset, and stammered, “I, uh, _ka_?”

“Parjii, you’re staying in bed.” Mando somehow managed to stop himself from calling her a stubborn idiot. Rising, he went into the kitchen and opened the preserver. Pre-processed food stared back at him, and he didn’t have a clue how to correctly process it into food. He’d never had to learn; someone else cooked for him, or he just ate rations. 

Angry at himself for the personal oversight, he grabbed a ration bar for her and went back to the cargo bay. The child was still sleeping; Mando knew he was going to have to get him something to eat soon, too. He gave her the bar. “Here. It’s all that I’m bringing out of the kitchen.” 

“Thank you,” she replied and broke off a piece, eating slowly. 

He debated letting her finish, but he had to tell her his plans. “Parjii, this can’t happen again.” He pushed away the image of her lying wounded in his bed again. She watched him with wide eyes as he continued, his words speeding up as he spat them out. “I have to know that The Kid is safe if I leave the ship. I can’t work if I can’t know that my home is safe. I can’t focus if I’m worried about someone coming after the two of you for something I did to them. Or the next person who wants to take the bounty on me and The Kid.

“So I need to take you to an old associate of mine, Bastion Cete. He’s got a school for training people how to fight, the Cete-Pisa Academy. He’s agreed to consider taking you, and I know that he’ll do it once I tell him what happened. So I have to leave you there for a while. Bastion will say how long. It’s safe there, I promise, but I can’t leave The Kid there because it’s not safe for them.” He didn’t need to ask if she understood; her sad expression and the tears she failed to hide told him she got it. “This is how it has to be.”

The Kid sat up and stared blankly around the room. Seeing Mando, he waddled over and collapsed against his boot, then closed his eyes and started snoring again. Picking him up and ignoring the irritated howl coming from the grumpy child, Mando said, “I’m going to feed him. I’ll check on you again soon.”

~ * ~ * ~

Mando was a terrible caregiver, or at least that’s how he felt as he did his best. He administered painkillers as necessary, he helped her to the head when she needed, and he made sure she had plenty to eat. As far as patients went, she was easy to care for, mostly sleeping or lying next to The Kid as he played with his toys. Still, he felt like he was missing a part of her care, and he couldn’t figure out what.

They arrived on Naboo without incident, and Mando landed at the designated spot. It was a small landing pad in a break in the trees, fenced to keep animals from wandering through with a footpath disappearing into the forest. Though no one was there when he set down, by the time he had Parjii limping down the ramp, they had company. Mando paused at the sight of Bastion, tall and wide in his modified trooper armor with blasters on both hips and the small Wookie standing to his right. Small Wookie meant she still topped Mando by six centimeters, and she had a sniper rifle slung over her shoulder. Mando remembered her using it like he used a rifle, a discomforting memory when she snarled at him. Though Bastion had more wrinkles and silver hair than the last time they’d met, he still had the lean lines of a trained warrior. The other three people there Mando didn’t recognize, but they were well-armed and staring with hostility. Bastion had been telling stories about him.

“Bastion,” Mando said, nodding in a respectful greeting. “Pisa.”

The Wookie bellowed at him, and Bastion translated, “That’s Pisaarrrick to you. Is this your friend?”

“Parjii, this is the one I told you about, Bastion and that’s Pisa-- Pisari-- Pisaarrrick.” Mando winced as he mangled the Wookie’s name and she bared her fangs at him. “I’m afraid I don’t know your other three friends.”

“Don’t worry about us,” the short redheaded man said with a little smirk. “Worry about minding your manners.”

“Abo,” Bastion said, and the man fell silent. Stepping forward, Bastion eyed Parjii closely. After a long moment, he asked tersely, “So who worked you over?”

“He’s dead,” Mando said.

“I’m talking to Parjii, and you can keep your trap shut,” Bastion snapped. Mando ground his teeth, but remained silent as Bastion returned his dark gaze to her. “Who did this to you?”

“Toro Calican,” she answered softly. She tried to straighten from her lean on Mando’s arm but gave up with a wince. 

“Do you want me to teach you how to beat the dwang out him next time?” Bastion asked her bluntly.

Parjii frowned. “I no can do that. I no fight.”

“Anyone can learn to fight. Do you want to learn?” he asked. 

She glanced up at Mando and he gazed at her, choking down rage at the sight of her swollen jaw and bruised lekku. “I can’t answer that for you,” he told her gently. 

“But you want me do this?” she asked.

Aware of Bastion’s steely gaze, he said, “I want you to be safe, even when I’m not around.” 

“Don’t do what he wants,” Bastion interrupted. “If you’re not willing to do the work to learn, then you’re wasting my time, your time, and taking resources from someone who wants to be here. Honestly, if this were just for Mando, I’d tell Pisa to rip his arms off instead.” The Wookie made a pleased _wuff_. He pressed his hands together and pointed them at Parjii sharply. “Do you want to learn to kill any kriffer trying to kill you?”

She was silent for a long moment, and Mando waited, hoping she was about to give the right answer. “ _Ka,”_ she said.

“I don’t speak Twi’lek,” Bastion said roughly, “or whatever that is. In Basic, we say ‘yes’, got it?”

“K-- Yes,” she said. “But my Basic bad.”

“We can room her with Chee,” the woman with copper skin and vivid green eyes said. “She talks so much, you’ll pick up Basic in no time, Parjii. I’m Amli.”

“She trains my beginners,” Bastion said, “and you’ll be seeing a lot of her. She’s going to take you to the medbay now, while I chat with Mando.”

“Wait, I say bye?” she asked, her fingers tightening around Mando’s arm as if afraid Amli was going to rip her away.

“Nah, you’ll see him at dinner tonight.” Bastion smiled at her, changing the hard lines of his face from foreboding warrior to favorite father figure. “Go on, I promise you’ll get your things and have a chance to say farewell.”

Amli took Mando’s place as Parjii’s living crutch, and together, the two women walked up the path from the landing pad to the school proper. The other two guards followed, though Abo only went to the landing pad’s entrance where he took up an alert stance at the gate. 

Bastion waited until they were out of earshot, then asked, “How long has she been with you?”

“A couple of months,” he said.

“You’re still a right idiot,” Bastion said and Pisa rumbled in agreement. “Can’t see past the end of your helmet.”

“You don’t know what I’ve done for her,” Mando snapped, his anger finally finding an acceptable outlet. “I killed six men just so she could escape. I’ve fed her, protected her--”

Bastion’s sarcastic clapping cut him short. “Well done for being a decent person for once, Mando. I’m _so_ proud.”

In icy tones, Mando said, “You’ve seen my attempts at teaching--”

Bastion cut him off again with a harsh scoff. “And in return, she’s what? Cooking, cleaning, warming your bed--”

Mando pulled his blaster, but managed to keep it pointed down. Pisa brought her rifle up, but he ignored it; Bastion hadn’t drawn and Pisa wouldn’t shoot without his say-so. “If you ever suggest I’d take advantage of her like that--”

“Why wouldn’t you?” Bastion asked softly. “She’s just a slave.”

That was out of character and with effort, Mando realized he was being baited. “No, she’s not.” He holstered his blaster. “She freed herself, before she hid on my ship. Everything she does, she wants to do, and no, we’re not having sex.”

Bastion waved at Pisa,who grumbled angrily but lowered her weapon. “So what are you getting out of it, Mando?” he asked.

“Nothing,” he said.

Bastion shook his head. “No one does anything for free,” he said. “For example, if I take Parjii in, I expect to be paid. So how is she paying you?”

“She’s not,” Mando said, his voice getting heated again.

Pisa barked something, and Bastion nodded. “Does ‘only fools do free’ sound familiar?” 

Mando winced at his words being used against him. “There are more important things than credits.”

“So what?” Bastion asked, squinting suspiciously. “You _care_ about her?”

“What do you want from me?” Mando knew what he wanted, but something in him wouldn’t let him just _say_ it.

“I want to hear you say you care, Mando,” Bastion said. 

“Why?”

“Because I want to hear you admit that something, _anything_ , matters to you more than credits.” Bastion crossed his arms, and Pisa rumbled an agreement. “Because you kriffed us over once for credits, for people you hated as much as we did. So yeah, not trusting your new sense of charity.”

When he’d first met them, Mando reflected, he’d been young and eager to help the covert. He’d been a little over-eager, he could admit privately, a little blind to the character of people he worked with or the nature of the work he did. “I get it,” he said. “I listened to the wrong people. I’m sorry, is that what you wanted?”

“Oh, get the kriff over yourself,” Bastion growled. “What you did to me only matters because it showed me who you were. Now, do you care for the Twi’lek? I want to hear you say it.”

“Or what? You won’t admit her as a student?” Mando growled.

Bastion’s hands dropped to his weapons and Pisa’s wide shoulders tensed again. “No, I’m going to help her. But unless I think you have her best interests at heart, you’re never going to see her again.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll post the next story later, perhaps on Friday. We'll see. 
> 
> tw: I can't think of any beyond "adults refusing to deal with their feelings" so I apologize if I miss one.

Mando had the blaster out without thinking, pointed dead at Bastion’s head. Pisa bellowed and leveled her rifle at him once more; at this range, it’d blow a hole in his beskar as big as his head. 

He wanted to do kill Bastion with a rage he hadn’t felt since he was a young man; he wanted to shoot the smug shabhole in the face and he almost pulled the trigger and gambled on being able to avoid Pisa long enough to kill her. 

That wouldn’t help Parjii, though, and he choked back his rage. “I do care. I didn’t shoot you for that threat only because I’m not the same man you knew all those years ago. If you try to keep Parjii from me, I’ll show you the other ways I’ve matured. She’s the only person who gets to say whether I see her again or not.”

The silence after his statement hung heavy for a moment; Bastion nodded finally. Mando lowered his blaster, though Pisa didn’t. “So,” Bastion asked casually, “who’s that?”

Mando turned to see The Kid standing at the top of the ramp, watching them with dark eyes. Wondering how long he’d been there, he turned back to Bastion. “He stays with me.”

“Not what I asked, Mando, but if you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine,” Bastion said. Mando didn’t trust this calm, or the way Bastion watched the kid. “Just haven’t seen anyone like him in a long time.”

“Wait, you’ve seen his people?” Mando asked, anger fading in light of a possible lead. 

“I know of a member of his species,” Bastion replied. “But he died in the war.”

Mando slumped as the child waddled down the ramp and came to a stop in the shadow of his boot. The tiny being stared at the strangers, not afraid but wary. Frowning, Mando asked, “You don’t know anything about where the other one like him came from?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Did he fight for the Rebellion or the Empire?” Mando asked, hoping if he could find people who knew this alien better, they could lead him to The Kid’s people.

“He fought for the Republic,” Bastion said softly, “in the Clone Wars.”

“Oh.” Mando sighed. 

“You’re taking care of a kid?” Bastion asked. “Who trusted you with their child?”

“Parjii and I are,” Mando said pointedly. At her name, The Kid started to scan the area. “Was my answer good enough or do I have to start searching your school for her?”

“Of course it’s good enough,” Bastion said. “And don’t worry about tuition.”

Mando scowled. “What was all that ‘I expect to be paid’?”

“Rancor-dwang,” Bastion said with a shrug. “The last time I stood this close to you, you shook my hand and promised you’d be there to pick me up--”

Mando sighed. “I said sorry, didn’t I?”

Bastion waggled his fingers in a ‘sorta’ gesture. “And the last time I saw your ship was when it buzzed over my head and left Pisa and I on Dantoonie with half the planet looking for us. So I put you through some hoops before letting you off the hook. Get over it. Someone will come get you for dinner, and I’ll tell you then about how long I think she’ll need to be here.” He turned to leave, but Mando called him back.

“For what it’s worth, I am sorry I crossed you,” Mando said sincerely. “You didn’t deserve that.”

“You’re right. I still appreciate you saying it,” Bastion said before leaving. Pisa gave him a last growl and followed after him.

Sighing, Mando looked down at the little alien now half-hiding behind his boot. “You had to come out then?” The Kid grinned delightedly at him. Picking him up, Mando carried him aboard to wait for dinner. 

~ * ~ * ~

The solitude gave him the chance to consider how to say goodbye. Thirty minutes before the time, he realized that now was the perfect opportunity to tell her the one thing he’d been afraid to admit. The thought terrified him, but she deserved to know, and it might help her feel better about being left here. It might even let her cut ties with him, which he knew was best for her.

Abo sauntered out to the ship to collect him, and Mando helfted Parjii’s bag on one shoulder and The Kid on the other. The two men walked in silence as Abo led him through the school grounds. Mando noted the layout as they walked, making no attempt to hide his scrutiny. Three main buildings constructed in the graceful Naboo style faced a central square which bore the marks of being used as an exercise yard. Paths edged out into the trees, and Abo took one of these, leading him around the middle building to a bonfire. 

Mando had wondered if he should come unarmed, but everyone here wore a weapon, save Parjii. She sat in a chair, looking tired and out of place. That didn’t seem to matter to the people sitting on the logs around her; they welcomed her with their smiles and body language. Bastion sat beside her, cleaning a blaster and talking. The firelight turned her eyes to molten gold as Parjii laughed at something Bastion said. 

Seeing her felt like a hammer to his chest, and he realized that yes, he was leaving her here. He’d had moments like this before, where an opening void in his chest told him that he’d regret this move later. It wouldn’t stop him, it never did, but suddenly he was tired of that emptiness. He stayed back, on the other side of the bonfire, turning just enough so that The Kid couldn’t see her as he wrestled silently with what was coming. He’d never felt so weary at the thought of leaving someone behind, of going back to the  _ Crest _ without her.

“Those her things?” Amli appeared at his elbow with a plate of food, then saw the child perched on his shoulder. “Ohhhhh, look at you! Aren’t you just the sweetest little thing! Come to Auntie Amli,” she offered, opening her arms. The Kid vacated Mando in a hot second, finding a position on the woman where he could see and still grab bits of food.

“What should I do with the bag?” Mando asked, suddenly wondering if this had been a good idea.

“I’ll drop it at her room,” Abo offered, and Mando let him take it at Amli’s nod.

“You want some food?” Amli asked and Mando declined politely. “Bastion said you wouldn’t, but I like to be hospitable.” After a moment, she said, “Having second thoughts?”

“Hmm?” Mando realized he’d been staring at Parjii, watching her lean toward Bastion as he showed her how to clean the weapon.

“I asked if you were having--”

“No.” His firm rebuttal cut her off. “I’m actually wondering if I should just go.”

“I hear you’re good at that,” Amli replied. Mando set his jaw, just about ready to grab The Kid and do just that, when she said, “Someday, you’re going to realize that being alone isn’t being strong.”

“Why do you say that?” Mando asked. That went against his training, and he wasn’t sure how someone could justify that statement.

“Because being a real friend or real lover takes so much work and strength.” Something in her tone suggested that Amli had known love and grief; her words had depth of experience in them. “Being alone is easy. Lonely but easy.”

“This isn’t easy,” Mando growled.

“Leaving isn’t,” Amli said, “but staying is harder.”

Parjii caught sight of him then, and leaving became more cruel than he could stomach, especially when she saw the child. She struggled to stand, and he picked The Kid up and went over to meet her. Her expression faltered when they drew close, but the child had no hesitation. He reached for her with a soft cry, and she hugged him. The pain that washed over her face made Mando hate himself. “I will miss you,” she said to the baby solemnly.

“Your Basic is getting better already,” Mando said, wondering why that lame statement was what he’d chosen to lead with.

“I practice that,” she said softly.

“Can we talk? Before I go?” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied and he offered an arm. They started a slow walk through the forest, staying close enough to see the light of the bonfire. Mando caught sight of Pisa once, sliding through the shadows like the furred predator she’d been born to be. He would have liked complete privacy but that wasn’t going to happen short of going back to the  _ Crest _ and he wasn’t putting Parjii through that long of a walk just to save his pride. 

“You’re moving better,” he noted. “They dunk you for a bit?”

Parjii nodded as The Kid snuggled in her other arm. “I do bacta tank again tonight, should be fine tomorrow.”

They came across a path in the trees and started to follow it randomly. When the trees pulled back on a firing range, the targets black with carbon scoring and the sounds of the gathering only a distant hum, Mando helped her sit down on a bench at the edge of the clearing. He sat next to her, wondering if she’d want to be this close to him after this. “I wanted to tell you something,” he said, swallowing hard and steeling himself to stick to the plan. “I wanted to tell you how I found The Kid.”

“Okee. Uh, O- _ kay _ ,” she replied with a smile, brushing gentle fingers over the topic’s green ears.

_ Don’t smile _ , he wanted to say, but instead he started with, “I was hired to bring him in. He was my bounty.” That wiped away her smile and replaced it with confusion. “And I did it. I turned him over to Imperials for a fortune in beskar.” He tapped his armor. “Most of it is here.”

Horror washed through her confusion and Mando made himself watch the transformation. “How?” she asked, and he started to tell her how important beskar was to him, how his Creed demanded he support the covert before anyone else. “How he here?” she asked, looking down at the child and running a gentle thumb over his cheek. The Kid grabbed her thumb with a smile and hugged it, his dark eyes shining in the moonlight.

“I went back and attacked the Imperials to get him,” Mando said honestly. Part of him hoped she’d storm away -- well, stagger away in her condition -- in outrage. That they’d fight about The Kid staying here. The part of him that hated that void in his chest delighted that she’d focused on what had happened after. “It cost my covert their secrecy, and some of them probably died.” She still hadn’t looked at him, watching the child in her lap. The desires of his loneliness lost to the familiar pain of driving people away. “He’s only alive because one of the doctors at the facility worked to keep him alive. He almost died because I wanted my payout.”

“I no understand,” she said softly. “You love beebee.”

“I…” He swallowed, wondering why everyone was trying to force him to admit feelings. “He was a bounty when I met him.”

“He  _ beebee _ when you meet,” Parjii said, anger ringing in her voice. The Kid made a soft noise of distress at her tone, and she automatically rubbed his back in soothing circles.

“I know that,” he replied.

Her eyes rose to the targets, searching the dark night. He could see her struggle to incorporate this new image of him -- the full image of him into her idea of who and what he was. A cloud passed over the moon, dropping them into darkness, and he didn’t bother to activate the night filter. “You go back because feel sorry?” she finally asked.

For a long moment, he thought, wanting to be sure it was the most truthful and clear statement of his motives. “I went back because I couldn’t leave him there. No one would tell me what they wanted him for, and they threw out his bassinet. I knew they didn’t mean him well, and I still left him there.”

She turned to him, twisting on the bench to grab his hand. The Kid watched, curious as she curled Mando’s fingers into a fist and said, “You so strong  _ here _ .” Dropping his hand, she tapped his  _ Beskaryc Kar'ta _ , her nails rapping on his iron heart. “You so weak  _ here _ .”

The cloud rolled away, and he saw the wet track of tears on her face.  _ Mission accomplished _ , he thought to himself as shame rolled through him.  _ She sees the real you _ . Hurt turned his tone gruff. “I have to leave soon. Say goodbye to The Kid.”

“No, I have something to tell  _ you _ ,” she insisted. Steeling himself for hate, she said, “I not strong like you, or Nima still live.” Her arms stiffed around the baby protectively -- protecting him from Mando, and that hurt worse than her anger. “Don’t let weak heart kill Thakhid. If you no promise me, he no go.”

A tear splashed onto The Kid’s head and he touched the wet spot in surprise. Mando should be mad at the ultimatum, but he knew that her statement came from love. He also knew -- they  _ both  _ knew that she couldn’t back up her threat. He could take the kid no matter what she said, but he’d have to hurt her to do it. It wasn’t Pisa’s presence in the trees that stopped him; it was the thought of hurting her, even for The Kid.

“I promise,” he said. “I’ll protect him so long as I live.” He’d already promised that to the child, at least until he found a safe place for him.

Parjii carried The Kid back to camp; even with Mando’s arm to lean on, his light weight had over-extended the limits of her sore back, judging by the pain in her expression when Mando helped her back into her chair. She settled and kissed the baby’s head, openly weeping. Mando waited as she spoke to the child in Twileki for a while, her voice thickening with sobs. The Kid’s expression went somber, and Mando remembered the last time he’d seen the child look like that: leaving Sorgan.  _ Sorry, Kid, I promise someday you’ll be done with goodbyes. _

The people who’d been sitting around Parjii were quiet as she spoke, some silently wiping their eyes. He heard a couple of sniffles, and received more than a few glares from students or teachers. Bastion moved quietly to his side, and said, “Minimum two months. You know, Naboo needs bounty hunters.”

“The Kid’s got hunters on his tail, and I burned the Guild to save him.” Mando kept his voice low. “I don’t want to draw them to your school.”

“Appreciate that.” Bastion sighed. “It’s going to be hard.”

“She’ll miss him.” Mando said.  _ I’ll miss her _ .

Bastion snorted. “I meant hard for  _ you _ , bucket-head.”

He started to deny it but let the impulse go. “I’ll manage.”

“I know.” Bastion extended a hand to him. “I’ll keep you updated. Fly safe.”

Mando shook it. “Thank you, Bastion.”

“You’re welcome.”After that, the former soldier left him alone, and Mando waited until Parjii looked up at him. He went to her side and took the child, who made a soft sound and burrowed against Mando. “Don’t worry about us,” he said. “We’ll be fine.”

“You promise,” she reminded him and he nodded. Her lips parted, then closed, and then opened again. He waited patiently for her to formulate her thoughts; then she stood painfully and kissed The Kid again. She looked up at him, locking gaze with his visor.

She licked her lips once, then kissed his helmet over his mouth. Mando inhaled sharply, blinking, at a loss of what to say. She turned away from him and limped to Amli, who took her arm and helped her walk away.

Mando touched his helmet, fingers moving to the spot she’d kissed. It felt no different than any other part but his mind was locked on the idea that it was changed somehow. That strange feeling lasted right until The Kid yanked his helmet down and kissed him in the same spot. A couple of the academy onlookers chuckled, and that broke Mando’s shock. “What was that?” he asked The Kid, glad the helmet hid the blush flaming his cheeks. 

The Kid grinned at his reaction, delighted that his mimicry had rendered a result. “Very funny,” Mando said, turning toward the  _ Crest _ . “That’s not how it’s done.”

The kid tilted his head at him in silent inquiry and Mando shook his head. “I’ll explain when you’re older.”  _ Much older. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come join me on Tumblr @deprough where I post whatever I want, and a lot of Mando stuff. I also post daily excerpts of my work, so you know I'm working. I'd love to chat with you.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, I invite you to join me on Tumblr, where I post daily excerpts from my work as accountability. If you'd like a sneak at what I'm working on, that's a good place to start. I also talk The Mandalorian in general, sharing thoughts about fandom and Star Wars, and I do show off my crochet projects occasionally. You can find me @deprough.


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